A 'magic robe' worn by comedian Tommy Cooper for his final performance has been sold at auction for £8,500.

The sum, which includes a buyer’s premium, was well in excess of the £4,000-6,000 estimate published ahead of the sale at Tennants Auctioneers on Wednesday (July 23).

The robe was bought by Emmy award-winning American illusionist David Copperfield.

Copperfield, who has been named a Living Legend by the US Library of Congress, said:

The robe, which was made to fit the Welsh comedian’s 6ft 4in frame, was later owned by fellow magician Paul Daniels, who purchased it at a Comic Heritage auction.

It was then sold through Tim Reed Magic in 2003 to the current vendor and is accompanied by a signed letter from Paul Daniels confirming the robe’s provenance.

On April 15, 1984, Cooper stepped onto the stage at Her Majesty’s Theatre, London for a live televised performance. Wearing this red silk brocade robe and his trademark fez, he was to perform an act in which ever larger objects were passed by the show’s host, Jimmy Tarbuck, through the stage curtain and an opening panel in the back of the garment, to appear like magic from beneath the robe. 

Sadly, Cooper suffered a heart attack part-way through the act, collapsed and died at Westminster Hospital.

Cooper was a towering figure in British entertainment throughout the 1960s and '70s. Born in Wales, he served in the army during ther Second World War, where he entertained his comrades with his comedic and magical talents. 

He later made a career from comedy built around magic tricks that often went intentionally and hilariously wrong. He remains one of the most unique and fondly-remembered personailities of post-war British comedy.

Tennants Auctioneers has large sale rooms at Leyburn and a smaller presence at its shop on Montpellier Parade in Harrogate.